Fläkt Woods has highlighted a potential misinterpretation of the ErP Regulation (EU) 327/2011 for fans.
The company is in consultation with the governmental department enforcing the regulation to clarify how it intends to interpret Article 1, section 3(d), specifically the replacement of non-compliant fans in integrated appliances.

The legislation permits low efficiency, non-compliant units to be sold as direct replacements for fans that are built in to other products, such as chiller units. However, Fläkt Woods is concerned that this could be misinterpreted by the supply chain, leading to a situation where non-compliant fans are replaced in general, for instance, in ducting systems.

Since the regulation applies to both 'placing on the market' and 'putting into service', installers and operators could misinterpret the law, risking prosecution and rectification costs.

Managing director of Fläkt Woods, Allan Hurdle, said: 'The potential energy savings from the new legislation are a vital element of the drive to reduce carbon emissions and the reliance on high energy using products. As a company, we have embraced the developments and ensured our customers are well informed of the changes afoot, and which products fit the design requirements of their projects.'

He continued: 'However, we are concerned that if the industry does not fully conform to the new legislation, and these finer points are not clarified, there is a risk that bending the rules now will result in prosecution at a later stage. For this reason, we are insistent that specific sections of the document are explained in more detail before our customers are potentially compromised by installing non-compliant products.'